Free-standing shower stalls

ABSTRACT

A FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALL INCLUDING A BASE, WALL PANELS JOINED TO THE BASE, A RAIL CONNECTED TO THE WALL PANELS TO IMPART RIGIDITY TO THE STALL, AND A DRAIN CONNECTION IN THE BASE WHICH PERMITS THE SHOWER STALL TO BE PLACED IN ANY DESIRED LOCATION. A SHOWER STALL AS DESCRIBED WHEREIN THE WALL PANELS ARE PLASTIC AND ARE JOINED TOGETHER BY IMPERFORATE, WATER TIGHT HINGES WHICH PERMIT THE PANELS TO BE FOLDED FOR SHIPMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE STALL AND TO BE EASILY ERECTED DURING ASSEMBLY.

1971 B. E. MUSTEE FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet l FiledOct.

INVIZNTOR. BERNARD E. MUETEE gin/5w Fig. 2

$ M ATTOENEYfi.

Oct. 5, 1971 MUSTEE 3,609,?3

FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALLS Filed Oct. 8, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR. BERNARD E. MUS TEE BY Q/ MM 6 5 M A TTOENE 75.

0d. 5, 1971 MUS-TEE 3,609,173

FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALLS Filed Oct. 8, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR. BEPNA/QD E. MUSTEE Qma, Q/ MM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 5, 1971 B.E. MUSTEE FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALLS Filed Oct. 8, 1969 Fig. 20

INVENTOR. BERNARD E. MUSTEE Em'h/L M ATTOEA/F/i Fig. 2!

United States Patent Ofice 3,609,773 Patented Oct. 5., 1971 3,609,773FREE-STANDING SHOWER STALLS Bernard E. Mustee, Cleveland, Ohio, assignorto E. L. Mnstee & Sons, Inc.

Filed Oct. 8, 1969, Ser. No. 864,716 Int. Cl. A47k 3/23 US. Cl. 4-146 24Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A free-standing shower stall includinga base, wall panels joined to the base, a rail connected to the wallpanels to impart rigidity to the stall, and a drain connection in thebase which permits the shower stall to be placed in any desiredlocation. A shower stall as described wherein the wall panels areplastic and are joined together by imperforate, water tight hinges whichpermit the panels to be folded for shipment in association with otherparts of the stall and to be easily erected during assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to theconstruction of stall enclosures, and more specifically to a newfree-standing shower stall structure.

An object of the invention is to provide a free-standing stallconstruction including a base, wall panels joined to the base, and ahand rail secured to the wall panels within the stall to impartrigidity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new stall enclosurecharacterized by a light-weight construction which can be convenientlypackaged for shipment and easily and quickly assembled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new free-standingshower stall which can be easily installed at any desired location.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new free-standing showerstall including a base and a drain connection in the base which can beeasily connected to a drain outlet in the floor of a building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new free-standingshower stall having plastic wall panels connected by water-tight,imperforate hinges which permit the wall panels to be folded forshipment and easily and quickly assembled during installation of thestall.

In the preferred emobidment of the invention, the new free-standingstall comprises wall panels which are joined to a fioor or base todefine three sides of a rectangular enclosure. When assembled anderected, the rectangular stall is rigid and is adapted to the mountingof a door, such as a conventional shower door. The floor or base of thestall may be a molded one-piece construction to which the wall panelscan be easily secured by conventional fasteners.

The rectangular shape of the new stall makes it convenient to locate ina building and is an improvement over conventional, semi-cylindricalstalls which do not lend themselves to the mounting of a door and whichprovide minimum stall area for a given amount of floor space.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a handrail which is secured to the wall panels within the stall. The hand railis secured to the walls in such a manner as to impart rigidity to thestall so that it will not sway and so that the walls are prevented frombowing. The hand rail also is a safety measure and contributes to theconvenient use of the new structure as a shower stall.

Another important feature of the invention resides in a novel drainstructure which may be provided in the base and which can beconveniently connected to a waste or drain pipe. In the preferredembodiment, the drain structure comprises a drain body which is fittedthrough a hole in the base and is externally threaded so that a draincasting can be connected to the drain body below the base. A pipe is inturn connected to the drain casting to extend to an outlet drain of thefloor on the building in which the stall is located.

The drain body and drain casting are constructed such that the connectedpipe can extend in any direction from the stall, whereby the stall canbe located in any desired position remote from the drain outlet.Further, the shower stall can be conveniently installed having thenecessary plumbing connections without the necessity of having to removeany part of the building floor on which the shower stall is placed.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the wall panelsof the stall are formed by sheets of plastic, thereby making the newstall resistant to corrosion which has been a problem with conventionalmetal stall constructions. The plastic walls panels are joined alongtheir vertical edges by imperforate, leak-proof hinges, which eliminatethe need for conventional metal fasteners or the like. The hingedformation of the plastic wall panels lends to the ease with which thenew stall can be assembled.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the convenient andinexpensive manner in which the shower stall can be packaged forshipment. The preferred hinged formation of the plastic wall panelspermits the wall panels to be folded for shipment in association withother components of the stall.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ashower stall according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the plane indicated by theline 2.2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the plane indicated by theline 33 of FIG. 1 and shown on a scale which is larger than the scale ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the plane indicated by theline 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the plane indicated by theline 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a preferred hinge construction connecting wallsof the stall having portions broken away and with the walls laid flat;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the plane indicated by theline 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the walls of the enclosure of FIG. 1folded for shipment;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a support rail for the walls of the stall ofFIG. 1 which serves as a hand rail;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view seen approximately from the planeindicated by the line 10-10 of FIG. 9 and shown on a scale which islarger than the. scale of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view seen from the plane indicated by theline 1111 of FIG. 9 and shown on a scale which is larger than the scaleof FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view seen from the plane of the line 12P12of FIG. 9 and shown on a larger scale then that of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view seen from the plane indicated by theline 1313 of FIG. 9 and shown on a larger scale;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 showing anotherpreferred construction of a hinge between walls of the stall of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5

3 showing still another preferred construction of a hinge between wallsof the stall of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the shower stall ofFIG. 16 as seen from the plane indicated by the line 1717 of FIG. 16 andhaving parts broken awa Fl G. 18 is a cross-sectional view as seen fromthe plane indicated by the line 1818 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of parts of the stall which are assembled forshipment;

FIG. 20 is plan view of the assembled parts of FIG. 19 and additionalparts of the shower stall which are assembled to form a shippingpackage; and,

FIG. 21 is a view seen from the plane indicated by the line 2121 of FIG.20.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a prefabricatedshower stall constructed according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. The shower stall 10 includes a base 11 verticallyextending wall panels 12, 13, 14, and a conventional shower door 15. Asuitable shower nozzle 16 extends through the wall 14 as do valvehandles 17, 18 for controlling the flow and temperature of water sprayedfrom the nozzle 16. The nozzle 16 and handles 17, 18 are adapted to beconnected to conventional plumbing which is not illustrated.

The base 11, FIG. 2, is preferably a molded construction of fiberreinforced plastic and includes a generally rectangular, central bodyportion 19 which defines the floor of the shower stall and an integral,peripheral flange structure 20. The flange structure 20 includes adownwardly extending support flange 21 formed continuously about theperiphery of the body portion 19 and an upwardly extending wallsupporting flange 22. The support flange 21 has portions 21a-d extendingdownwardly at the respective sides of the base 11 and the wallsupporting flange 22 has portions 22a-d extending upwardly from therespective sides of the base. If desired, leveling legs may be providedat the corners of the flange portions 21ad.

The body portion 19 of the base 11 has a raised, peripherally extendingledge portion 23 adjacent the flange structure 20 and a floor definingportion 24 which slopes toward a central drain opening 25. Suitablesupporting ribs 26 are molded in the base 11 beneath the floor portion24 and the ledge 23 to provide strength and rigidity.

A drain structure 32 is mounted through the drain opening 25. As shown,the drain structure 32 includes a drain body 33 having a cylindricalthreaded portion 33a projecting below the floor 24 and an upper flangedportion 33b flush with the floor surface. A strainer 34 may be disposedacross the mouth of the member 33 flush with the floor. The drainstructure 32 also includes a drain casting or fitting 35 in the form ofan elbow. The threaded portion 33a is threaded into the drain fittingand the fitting 35 has an upper flange 36 engaging the bottom side ofthe floor 24 when the drain body 33 and the fitting 35 are threadedtogether. Suitable calking or gaskets can be disposed between the floorand the drain elements if desired.

The fitting 35 has a generally horizontally extending arm 37 having aperipheral bead 38 at its end. A plastic pipe 40 (shown in the brokenlines in FIG. 2) is forced over the bead 38 so that the pipe is tightlymaintained on the arm 37. In the preferred construction, the flange 20of the base 11 is of a sufficient height to permit the drain pipe 40 toextend horizontally below the floor 24 through a notch 41 in a selectedone of the flange portions 21a-d. The preferred manner of connecting thefitting 37 to the base by the drain body 32 enables the stall 10 to beinstalled at a location spaced from the waste pipe (not shown) to whichthe pipe 40 extends.

Since the fitting 35 and the drain body 33 are threaded together thefitting can be oriented to extend in any desired direction to facilitateinstallation. Further, the shower stall 10 can be installed without thenecessity of tearing up any part of the floor which supports the stall.If desired, the base 11 can be placed directly over the waste pipe andthe side connection provided by the fitting 35 eliminated.

The door 15 is hung on a frame including a pair of extruded aluminumstructural members 45a, 45b which are attached to the flange portion 22dof the base 11 by screws 47 and extend upwardly to a support frame 46.The frame for the door 15' additionally includes a sill 50 which extendsbetween the members 45a, 45b along the flange portion 22d.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the vertical door frame member 45a is generallychannel shaped in cross-section and includes a web 52, a flange 54 alongone side of the web and a pair of parallel flanges 55, 56 along theother side of the web. The flanges 5-5, 56 are spaced apart to define agroove 57 adapted to receive the edge of the wall panel 12. The flanges54-56 extend inwardly of the shower stall from the web. Parallel ribportions 60, 61 extend along the web between the flanges 55, 56 and theflange 54.

The sill 50 is an extruded member having a generally L-shapedcross-section shape which is supported in an inverted position acrossthe threshold of the door. The horizontal leg 50a of the sill is formedwith downwardly projecting projections 62, 63 which are semicircular incross-section, are disposed in facing relationship to define a nearlycylindrical space or opening 65 between them. The flange 54 is providedwith an opening alignable with the opening 65 on the leg 61 of the sill50, FIG. 4. A self-tapping screw 71 extends through the opening 70 andis threaded into the sill 50. The vertical leg of the sill 50 isconnected to the flange 22d on the base 11 by fasteners 72 extendingthrough the flange 22d and leg of the sill 50.

The door frame member 45b is constructed and mounted substantially inthe same manner as illustrated and described in connection with themember 45a except for the inclusion of a conventional hinge constructionfor supporting the door 15.

The support frame 46 at the top of the stall 10 includes sheet metalangle members '75a-d which are disposed along the upper edges of thewalls 12, 13, 14 and the door 15, respectively. The members 75 aremitered at their ends and are secured together by triangular gussetplates 76a-d which insure rigidity of the frame 46. In the preferredconstruction the frame 46 is assembled by the manufacturer and mountedon the stall 10 as a unit.

The walls 1214 are secured to their respective frame members 7511-0 byscrews 77 extending through the vertical leg of each frame member andthe associated wall. The members 45a, 45b of the door construction aresimilarly fastened to the frame member 75d by screws 80.

The walls 12-14 are each constructed from a rectangular, relatively thinplanar sheet of plastic material extending continuously between the base11 and frame 46. In a preferred construction the walls are defined bysheets of fiberglass reinforced polyester resin about 0.065 inch thick.Each wall is formed with appropriately located knockouts which can bedislodged to define openings for receiving the shower nozzle and valvehandles. Thus the stall 10 can be located and oriented as desired withrespect to existing plumbing and only the knockouts in one wall need. beremoved.

The walls 12, 14 are tightly received in the grooves 57 formed in themembers 45a, 45b, respectively (FIG. 3), at the sides of the wallsadjacent the door 15 and the walls are bolted to these flanges. Thelower edges of the walls rest on the ledge 23 of the base 11 and aretightly maintained against the flanges 22a-d by screws extending throughthe flanges and walls.

The walls 12-14 are connected together by imperforate hinges 84, whichare assembled with the walls prior to connecting the walls to the base.The hinges are identical and therefore only the hinge 85 is described indetail. As shown in FIGS. -8 the hinge 85 is defined by two strips ofplastic tape 90, 91. The strip 91 forms an interior corner of the showerstall extending continuously between the walls 13, 14 while the strip 90extends between the walls 13, 14 at the juncture of those walls on theexterior of the shower stall. The plastic tape must be of anonstretching character capable of remaining firmly adhered to the wallswhen exposed to hot water at temperatures up to about 140 F. Tapes whichhave been found satisfactory are a vinyl tape known commercially asDevon 120v sold by the Devon Tape Corporation and a polyester film tapeNo. 850 sold by the 3M Company.

The strips 90, 91 are provided wtih an adhesive of a character whichinsures that each strip is bonded securely to the walls 13, 14 and tothe other tape strip where overlapping occurs. The adhesive is insolublein water and since the strips 90, 91 are imperforate, a permanent,flexible water-tight joint is formed between the sides.

The method of constructing the hinge 85 is best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7.As shown in FIG. 6 the walls 13, 14 are placed side by side withadjacent sides 13a, 14a spaced slightly apart; for example, the wallsmay be laid flat on a floor. The tape strip 91 is of greater length thanthe sides 13a, 14a and is attached to the walls 13, 14 continuouslyalong their interior (upwardly facing) faces, bridging the space betweenthem. The end portions 91a, 91b of the strip 91 extend around the upperand lower sides of the walls 13, '14 and are bonded to the exterior ofthe walls.

The wall can then be turned over and the tape strip 90 is applied. Thetape strip 90 is substantially the same length as the strip 91 andbridges the sides 13a, 14a. along the exterior faces of the walls. Theend portions 90a, 90b overlie the ends 91a, 91b of the strip 91 andextend around the upper and lower sides of the walls 13, 14 and alongthe strip 91 on the interior faces of the wall.

The sides 13a, 14a, are spaced apart sufiiciently to enable folding thewalls 13, 14 into confronting relationship (see FIG. 8). This enablesefiicient shipping and storage of the walls, with the hinges intact, asis described in more detail presently.

A support rail 95 extends about the interior of the shower stall torigidly support the walls 12-14 intermediate their upper and lower ends.The construction of the rail is illustrated in FIGS. 9-13. FIG. 9 showsthe rail to be constructed of two parts 96, 97 connected together toform a U-like rail. The parts 96, 97 are each L-shaped, as viewed inplan, and the short legs of each L terminate in tubular sections 100,101 respectively. These tubular sections are D-shaped in cross-section,see FIG. 13, and the section 100 is telescopically received in thesection 101 to secure the parts 96, 97 together and prov de a rigidunitary rail construction. A rivet 98 is provided to maintain thesections 100, 101 in position.

The rails proper are generally semi-circular in crosssect on with theopen side facing downwardly. A reinforcing rib 102 is formed in the railand extends longitudinally of the rail parallel to the downwardlyextending sides.

The rail 95 is rigidly connected to the walls 12-14 and structuralmembers 45a, 45b. The rail 95 is disposed in the shower stall to formside wall portions 103, 104 and a rear wall portion 105 extending alongthe side and rear walls of the stall, respectively. The projecting ends106, 107 of the rail are bolted to the structural members 45a, 45b asshown in FIG. 3. In the preferred construction Speed Nuts are fixed tothe ends 106 107 for receiving the bolts.

The ends 106, 107 of the rail 95 are received between the ribs 60, 61 onthe associated frame member. The ends 106, 107 are tightly receivedbetween the ribs (FIG. 3) and thus the ribs rigidly maintain the endssquare with respect to the frame members.

In addition to supporting the walls of the shower stall the rail isconstructed to provide a hand rail. The rail 95 thus includes integralsupport arms 110 extending between the rail portions 103-105 and theiradjacent walls. The arms 110 are generally semicircular in cross-sectionOpening downwardly and each is provided with a pair of longitudinalstiffening ribs 111 extending from the rib 102 to a support flange 112formed on the arm. The support flange 112 is provided with an openingfor receiving a bolt 113 extending through the wall of the shower stallso that the arms 110 are rigidly attached to the walls of the stall. Inthe preferred construction Speed Nuts 114 are clamped to the arms 110for reception of the bolts 113. In order to distribute the holdingforces of the bolts 113, washers 115 are carried on the bolts. Thewashers are urged into engagement with the walls by the heads of thebolts.

In addition to the support and hand rail functions, the rail 95 providessuitable receptacles for soap, bottles and so forth within the stall. Asis seen in FIGS. 9 and 11 a soap dish 116 is integrally formed in therail 95 at one corner of the shower stall. The soap dish 116 includes agenerally oval support section 117 surrounded by a lip construction 118which merges into the side and rear rail portions 103, 105 respectively.The support 117 has a generally planar surface with a series of parallellongitudinal ribs 119 projecting upwardly from the surface forsupporting soap above the surface. A series of drain openings 120 areprovided in the support 117 on opposite sides of each rib to assurewater drainage.

A bottle receptacle 122 is integrally formed between the side and rearrail portions 104, 105, respectively, and includes a generally ovalsupport section 123 having drain openings 124 and ribs 125 whichfunction in the manner described above in reference to the soap dish116. The support 123 is surrounded by a continuous side wall 126 whichmerges into an upper lip construction 128. The lip 128 is ofsubstantially the same construction as the lip 118 of the soap dish 116.The side wall 126 is preferably about three inches in height to provideadequate lateral support for bottles, tubes, etc. which may be placed inthe receptacle.

FIG. 14 illustrates another preferred hinge construction 85' for theshower stall. The hinge construction 85' is substantially the same asthe hinge construction described in reference to FIG. 5 except that acylinder 130 of sponge vinyl material extends the entire length of thewalls between adjacent sides. The sponge cylinder 130 is adhered to thetape strips 90, 91 and has a diameter approximately twice the thicknessof the walls.

When the shower stall is assembled utilizing the hinge construction 85'the cylinder 130 provides a bead-like appearance at the corners of thewalls and supports the tape strips. When the shower stall is assembledfor shipping, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the cylinders 130 cushion thesides of the walls to prevent possible damage to them or to the tapeduring shipment.

In some circumstances, it is desirable to reinforce the tape forming thehinges against gouging which can result in the formation of holesthrough the tape strips 90 and 91. Should the tape strip 91 be holed,water could accumulate between the walls of stall at their junctures,and leak from the stall.

FIG. 15 illustrates a modified hinge construction 131 substantially likethe hinges 84, 85, but which is reinforced to avoid the possibility ofholing the plastic tape strips. The illustrated hinge construction 131includes reinforcing tape strips 132, 133, which are preferably composedof synthetic fibers for example rayon, which carry a suitable adhesive.A preferred tape is a bidirectional rayon fiber tape sold byBehr-Manning and known as No. 295 Behr strapping tape.

To construct the hinge 131, the walls are laid flat and the reinforcingtape strips 132, 133 are adhered to the walls in the same manner asdescribed above in reference 7 to applying the tape strips 90, 91 (FIGS.6-8). The tape strips 90, 91 are then applied over the strips 132, 133.

As shown in FIG. the tape strips 90, 91 are considerably wider than thereinforcing strips 132, 133 so that the junctures of the walls aresealed by the strips 90, 91 which firmly adhere to the walls and to thereinforcing strips. The reinforcing strips coextend with the strips 90,91 across the space between the sides of the walls and because of thetoughness of the reinforcing tape, sharp objects are not likely topenetrate the plastic tape strips 91.

Although FIG. 15 illustrates two reinforcing tape strips in the hinge,it is contemplated that a single reinforcing strip can be employed. Thisstrip preferably coextends with the plastic strip 90 at the outside ofthe shower stall.

Referring now to FIG. 16, another preferred shower stall 135 is shown.The stall 135 includes a base 136 supporting a drain construction andthree walls 138-140. A wall supporting frame 141 extends about the upperends of the walls and an access opening 145 is defined by a pair ofvertical support members 146, 147 which extend from the base 136 to theupper support frame 141. A sill 150 extends between the verticalsupports and is connected to the base.

The walls 138-140 of the shower stall 135 are defined by two sheets 155,156 of plastic material which are connected together at a joint 157,FIG. 17, extending vertically along the center of the rear wall 140-.The joint 157 is formed by inwardly extending wall flanges 160, 161which engage each other along the joint. The flanges 160, 161 areconnected by a plurality of staples 162 which extend through and gripthe flanges at spaced locations along the joint. Only one staple isillustrated in FIG. 16.

The joint 157 is sealed to prevent water leakage between the flanges.Preferably the joint is covered by a suitable plastic or rubber seal 163extending the length of the joint on the inside of the stall. The sealincludes resilient lips 164 which grip the staples to maintain the sealin position over the flanges.

The walls 138-140 of the shower stall are folded flat for shipment afterthe joint 157 is constructed and accordingly the walls are joined byhinges 165, 166. The hinges 165, 166 are provided in each sheet 155, 156of the plastic wall material at the corners so that the walls 138, 139are foldable toward each other over the rear wall 140.

The hinges 165, 166 are each integrally formed of the wall material andprovide what is termed a live hinge between adjacent walls. These hingesare defined by re- I duced sectional thicknesses of the materialdefining junctions of the walls and are considerably more flexible thanthe walls proper. The plastic material defining the walls ispolypropylene, or the equivalent, and the properties of this materialare such that the hinges freely flex to provide the live hinge betweenthe walls. In the illustrated shower stall, vertical support ribs 167are defined in the walls to provide rigidity. The wall 138 isillustrated folded upon the wall 140 by broken lines in FIG. 17.

The access opening 145 is closable by a shower curtain 168 that issuspended from a bar 169 connected between gusset plates of the uppersupport frame 141. The free end and sides of the shower curtain aresuspended adjacent the vertical supports and the sill when the curtainis closed. The marginal portions of the curtain are anchored in place byfuzz latches 170 (FIG. 18) disposed at spaced locations along theseportions of the curtain. Each latch includes a pad 171 of fibrouslatching material attached to the members 146, 147 and the sill 150, anda pad 172 of fibrous latch material attached to the shower curtain.Fibers of one pad define resilient hook-like elements while fibers ofthe other pad form loops. When the pads are pressed together, hooks andloops engage to detachably anchor the curtain in place.

The shower stall 135 additionally includes a curtained dressing area. Agenerally U-shaped rod 175 has its end connected to gusset plates on theupper frame 141 on opposite sides of the opening. The bight 176 of therod 175 projects horizontally away from the access opening. A showercurtain 177 is suspended from the rod 175 by suitable clips permittingthe curtain to be drawn about the rod 175. When the curtain 177 is drawna substantially enclosed dressing area is provided immediately in frontof the access opening. The shower stall 10 of FIG. 1 can also beprovided with a dressing area if desired.

FIGS. 19-21 illustrate parts of the shower stall 10 organized into anassemblage 200 for insertion in a shipping container. The shower stallcomponents, except for the base or floor 11, are assemblable to occupy afiat rectangular volume for eflicient shipping of the parts and whereinthe parts are protected against damage dur- 1ng transit.

As seen in FIG. 19 the frame 46 and the handrail 95 are assembledtogether by tape strips 201 so that the handrail 95 is supported withinthe frame assembly.

The support frame members 45a, 45b are then laid out parallel to eachother with the flanges 54 and 55, 56 extending toward each other. Thewalls are folded upon each other as shown in FIG. 8. The free side ofone wall, e.g. the wall 12, is inserted into the groove 57 in the framemember 45a. The free side of the wall 14 is inserted in the groove 57 inthe frame member 45b. The walls fit tightly in the grooves 57 so thatthe assemblage of the walls and frame members is maintained withoutadditional fasteners or other securing devices.

The hinge between the walls 12, 13 is located above the flanges 55, 56of the frame member 45a while the hinge between the walls 13, 14 ispositioned below the flange 55 of the frame member 4511. Since the walls12- 14 are folded into confronting relationship the assemblage of theframe members and folded walls is easily inserted in a rectangularshipping container.

When the walls and frames are assembled the frame and handrail are slidbetween the frame members 45a, 45b. As seen in FIGS. 20 and 21 the frame46 and handrail 95 are supported in position between the flanges 54 andthe ribs 61 of each frame members.

The ribs 61 and flanges 54 are spaced apart so that the frame 46 issnuggly received between the flange '54 and rib 61 of each frame member.This prevents marring of the frame 46 during shipment as a result ofshifting position or rattling. This construction further insures thatthe frame 46 and handrail do not contact the folded walls duringshipment which could otherwise result in damage to the walls.

The sill 50 may also be taped to the interior of one of the framemembers for shipment, and, if desired, the door 15 (not shown in FIGS.19-21) may be placed in a protective carton and inserted in the spacebetween the frame members 45a, 451) above the folded wails.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred forms with acertain degree of particularity, it is understood that the presentdisclosure of the preferred forms has been made only by way of exampleand that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangementof parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and thescope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A shower stall comprising:

(a) a floor having a drain opening therein;

(b) panel walls extending upwardly from said floor to at least partiallydefine an enclosure having an access opening in one side;

(0) said walls having opposite faces and ends;

(d) water-tight, flexible hinge structure forming the junctures ofadjacent walls for permitting said walls to be erected from a foldedcondition; and

(e) wall support structure secured to corresponding faces of each ofsaid walls above said floor, said support structure extending at leastpartially across said corresponding wall faces and bridging said hingestructure at the junctures of each pair of adjacent walls to supportsaid walls in interconnected relation.

2. A shower stall as claimed in claim 1 wherein said walls are formed ofplastic.

3. A shower stall as claimed in claim 2 wherein said hinge structurecomprises a thin, flexible member forming a juncture between adjacentwalls.

4. A shower stall as claimed in claim 2 wherein said hinge structurecomprises tape.

5. A shower stall as claimed in claim 3 wherein said flexible member isan integral part of said adjacent walls and defines a live hinge.

6. A shower stall as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support structurecomprises rail means within said stall between the ends of said walls,said rail means having hand grip portions spaced from said correspondingfaces of said walls.

7. A shower stall as claimed in claim 6 including frame membersextending upwardly from said floor at the sides of said access opening,said rail means having end portions connected to said frame members.

8. A shower stall as claimed in claim 1 including drain structurecomprising a first member mounted in said drain opening and a secondmember connected to said first member and extending toward a side ofsaid stall.

9. A shower stall as claimed in claim 8 wherein said second member isrotatable about a vertical axis.

10. A shower stall comprising:

(a) a floor having a drain opening therein;

(b) plastic panel walls extending upwardly from said floor, said wallshaving opposite faces and ends;

(c) hinge means forming water-tight, flexible junctures of adjacentpanel walls;

(d) frame members extending upwardly from said floor to define an accessopening for said stall, said frame members being connected to panelwalls adjacent thereto;

(e) hand rail means within said stall between said floor and the upperends of said panel walls, said hand rail means connected to said framemembers and extending laterally at least partially across said panelwalls, and means connecting said hand rail means to said panel walls.

11. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 including a bead ofreinforcing material at the junctures of said adjacent panel walls.

12. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 wherein said tape meanscomprises a layer of reinforcing tape extending between and secured tothe edges of said pairs of adjacent panel walls.

13. A shower stall as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wall supportstructur comprises a hand rail between said floor and the upper ends ofsaid panel walls, said hand rail including two leg portions and aninterconnecting portion, said hand rail formed to define at least onereceptacle.

14. A shower stall as claimed in claim 6 wherein said rail meanscomprises two leg portions and an interconnecting portion, said railmeans formed to define at least one receptacle.

15. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 wherein said hinge meanscomprises tape means extending vertically along the junctures of saidadjacent panel walls on the inside and outside of said stall.

16. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 including a door hinged to oneof said frame members.

17. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 wherein said hinge meanscomprises flexible tape.

18. A shower stall as claimed in claim 10 including drain structurecomprising a first drain member mounted in said drain opening and havingan outlet end below said floor, and a second drain member connected tosaid outlet end of said first drain member and extending toward a sideof said stall.

19. A shower stall as claimed in claim 18 wherein said second drainmember is rotatable about a vertical axis.

20. Structure for a shower stall comprising:

(a) a plurality of individual wall panels having opposite faces, endsand side edges;

(b) each pair of adjacent panels having their adjacent side edges spacedfrom each other;

(c) tape means adhered to each pair of adjacent wall panels for formingan interconnecting water-tight, flexible hinge therebetween;

((1) said tape means:

(1) extending the lengths of each pair of adjacent panels on both oftheir faces and bridging the space between their adjacent side edges;and

(2) extending around the ends of each pair of adjacent panels to preventmoisture from entering the space therebetween.

21. The structure claimed in claim 20 wherein said tape means comprisesa first length of tape extending along said panels on one face and asecond length of tape extending along the panels on the opposite face,and portions of said first or second length of tape extending around theends of said panels.

22. Structure as claimed in claim 20 including reinforcing means forsupporting said tape means.

23. Structure as defined in claim 22 wherein said reinforcing meanscomprises a cylinder of resiliently compressible material between saidedge portions of said panels.

24. Structure as claimed in claim 22 wherein said reinforcing meanscomprises a reinforcing tape extending between each pair of adjacentpanel walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,990,871 2/1935 Klocke 4l462,343,201 2/1944 Nilson 4146X 2,634,425 4/1953 Sturwold 4145 2,802,5228/1957 Callet 231X 2,982,290 5/1961 Hunziker 5271X 3,118,186 1/1964 Moss52--71 3,462,771 8/1969 Moretti 4-146 HENRY K. ARTIS, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 5235, 71

53 33 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION nt 773 DatedOctober S, 1971 Inventor-(s) B. E. Mustee It; is certified that errorappears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below:

Column 9, line 48, "10" should be l5-.

Column 9, line 51, "10" should be -l5-.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of October 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

